Time for Hanukkah
Tomorrow is the first day of Hanukkah and anyone who wants the comfort of familiar dishes without the fuss and muss have a few options around town this year.
Nick and Toni's and Rowdy Hall will offer their traditional specials from Thursday night through Friday, Dec. 15. At Rowdy, now in Amagansett, there will be a la carte options of potato pancakes with Halsey Farm apple sauce and sour cream, braised beef brisket, and chocolate rugelach. Those specials will be offered until Monday. On Tuesday, they mix it up with a beet puree soup, roasted poussin, and apple cake as the a la carte choices.
At Nick and Toni's, the a la carte specials from Friday through Sunday are a chopped liver crostini amuse bouche, potato pancakes, braised beef short ribs, and raspberry jelly filled doughnuts with chocolate sauce. From Wednesday through Friday, Dec. 15, there will be a smoked salmon salad as the amuse, roasted beet soup, braised lamb shank, and berry linzer torte.
There are also take-home and catering options from Citarella, L&W Market in Bridgehampton, and the Cookery in East Hampton.
Citarella has all of its usual entree, appetizer, soup, side, and dessert offerings along with cuts of raw and cooked brisket, short ribs, poached whole fish, roasted capon, and braised lamb shank. Other special dishes include latkes, smoked fish, gefilte fish, matzoh ball soup, homemade applesauce, challah, kasha varniskas, and chopped chicken liver. As usual, customers can choose to make their own dishes with the store's ingredients or opt for a partially or fully catered affair. They even offer a gefilte fish "kit" to make it at home, with everything including chopped onions to get home cooks started. A full menu is available in store or on the website, where ordering information is also listed.
L&W has latkes, jelly doughnuts, matzo ball soup, and house-cured salmon for appetizers and starters. Red-wine-braised brisket and whole roasted chickens are the holiday mains, and the sides are yakatori-glazed sweet potatoes with scallions, rosemary-roasted fingerlings, and sauteed Amagansett greens. Orders must be placed by Wednesday for pickup on Friday, Dec. 15, between 1 and 3 p.m. The latkes and jelly doughnuts will be available all week.
The Cookery's Hanukkah menu includes spinach and cheese turnovers, sweet potato latkes, noodle kugel pie, honey-glazed and cardamom heirloom carrots and pomegranate, farfalle with butternut squash, marinated brisket with vegetables and horseradish sauce, sesame-crusted salmon, and olive oil cake with apple and ginger. Ordering can be completed through the website. The store also offers ready-to-eat weekend dinners, which must be pre-ordered.
Elaia for the Holidays
Bridgehampton's Elaia Estiatorio is hosting private parties this holiday season for small or larger groups with its existing catering menus or something special based on the group and its needs. The restaurant's general manager, Michael Donelan, keeps the schedule at [email protected].
The Greek restaurant continues to offer its $39 two-course prix fixe menu all night Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. On Wednesdays, certain bottles of wine are half price in the dining room and there are happy hour specials in the bar from Tuesdays through Saturdays from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Select glasses of wine, cocktails, and small plates are available for $12, and oysters are $1 apiece. The restaurant is closed Sundays and Mondays.
An Inspector Calls
The Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing Program has a new inspector. It recently announced that Mark Chien will replace Allan Connell, who had held the position for more than a decade.
Mr. Chien's association with North Fork winemaking began with his position as the inaugural vintner at Pindar Vineyards from 1983 to 1985. He then went on to serve in a number of positions in Oregon and Pennsylvania in vineyards and educational programs until his retirement this year. Although he lives in Lancaster, Pa., Mr. Chien plans to be in the area regularly for his new position and to promote sustainable wine-growing practices.
The program offers certification for vineyards and wineries as well as guidance and resources for those who want to be environmentally responsible while making their wines.
Corey Creek's Calendar
Corey Creek's Southold tap room has Friday Night Flights every week from 4 to 8 p.m. with live music, flights of its wine, and snacks and food from visiting food trucks. This week's matchup is Erin Chase with Main Road Biscuit Company. Next week is Ahmad Ali and GoodFood Montauk. Friday, Dec. 15, has Jeff LeBlanc and North Sea Tavern, Dec. 22 it's Robin Sidor and Encanto Crepes, and the year closes out with Paris Ray and a revisit by Encanto Crepes on Dec. 29.
Dive Bar Takes a Break
According to an Instagram post, Dive Bar Pizza on the stretch in Napeague has halted its operations as of Friday, Dec. 2. "From inception, we've strived to be a year-round establishment for the community. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen issues with the facility, we need to take a hiatus from our off-season operations." The restaurant's management said they would post any updates on their Instagram account.
